An employee who requested parental leave from Northern Ireland’s biggest car dealer has been awarded £65,000 after an industrial tribunal found he was unfairly dismissed for making the request.

Richard Vance, a centre manager of the Charles Hurst Lexus Showroom in south Belfast, had worked for the dealer for 20 years when the company said it was making his post redundant. He was dismissed on March 8 last year. In the decision issued last week, he was also awarded the statutory maximum of £65,300 for loss of earnings.

Mr Vance said: “I welcome the tribunal's decision and am very pleased that justice has been done”.

Charles Hurst, which is part of UK group Lookers plc, said it “does not comment on individual employees past or present”.